Tim Brady

Known for his radiant orchestrations, his dramatic structures and his innovative guitar work, Canadian Tim Brady is a composer and guitarist who has created music in a wide range of genres ranging from chamber and orchestral music to electroacoustic works, chamber opera, contemporary dance scores, jazz and free improvisation. He has been commissioned and performed by numerous ensembles and orchestras in North America and Europe including the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec, The South Bank Centre, New Music Concerts, INA-GRM (Radio-France), the English Guitar Quartet, the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, the Esprit Orchestra (CBC), the Philadelphia-based Relâche ensemble, the Australian group Topology, and the New York groups Newspeak and the Trinity Wall Street Choir.

“Concerto Etude” (2020) – Tim Brady
for erhu with media or string quintet, 8″30
《協奏》－  霆．伯瑞迪，二胡與電子音樂或弦樂五重奏
The work falls into 3 clearly defined sections, starting with introductory harmonies and melodic fragments, establishing the relationship between the erhu and the electronic soundscape. This is followed by highly rhythmic section, largely in 9/4 time, building to some rather dramatic glissandi for the erhu. The end of the piece is very calm, almost static, with a simple melody that undergoes for a series of repetitions and transformations.

“Peripheral Visions” (2021) – Tim Brady
for improvised solo with string quintet,15″00
《側視》－  霆．伯瑞迪，即興獨奏與弦樂五重奏
Peripheral Visions is the perfect marriage of completely improvised daring solo and intricate writing for the strings. The soloist is given no chords, melodies, gesture ideas, hints or clues what to play – free to play absolutely anything, in relation to the strings, which are, in contrast, fully and precisely notated. It is this powerful contrast of two different but equal approaches to music-making that is at the heart of the form and expression of the work.  And, in the end, there is only the act of making music – notation and improvisation are simply means-to-an-end.